Utility knives generally include a handle and at least one replaceable blade. Because such blades are known to become worn or damaged, utility knife handles generally include provisions to allow a blade to be removed from the handle, so that the blade may be reversed in the handle (in order to provide a new cutting edge for the knife) and/or replaced by another blade.
In the case of many utility knives, the removal of a worn or damaged blade requires that the handle first be opened to gain access to the internal cavity inside the handle. However, because it is sometimes inconvenient to open the handle, some utility knives provide mechanisms that allow a blade to be removed without any need for first opening the handle. Such mechanisms often make use of a releasable catch that engages the replaceable blade within the handle along with a manually operable mechanism for causing the releasable catch to disengage from the blade. Most of these mechanisms allow a worn or damaged blade to be removed through a blade opening at the front end of the handle.
Notwithstanding the availability of such mechanisms, there are still occasions in which a handle must be opened, for example, in order to retrieve a spare blade that may be stored inside the handle or to perform repair or maintenance inside the handle. Unfortunately, upon opening the handle, many of the above mentioned mechanism can fall out and become separated from the handle, thereby rendering the mechanism unusable.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a utility knife handle in which the mechanism for removing the blade is retained to the handle so that the mechanism does not become separated from the handle if opened.
Additional types of releasable catches are also desired.
As with blades, handles can also become worn or damaged due to demanding operating conditions, such as for example in the course of regular use in cutting asphalt roof tiles. Consequently, utility knife handles are sometimes formed of metal (e.g., steel) to provide durability. However, even knives with steel handles continue to become worn and/or damaged frequently, on account of such operating conditions.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a utility knife handle having improved durability.